She was almost fired for sending a casual email. But CEO’s simple rule saved her job: ‘Human emotion is the ultimate superpower.’

In today’s fast-paced corporate world, workplace emails have become one of the most common forms of professional communication. Yet, many employees often send messages without fully considering tone, emotional impact, or human connection. With the rise of AI-generated emails and automated writing tools, crafting quick responses has become easier, but this convenience can also make communication feel robotic, overly formal, or emotionally distant. Cold corporate messaging can unintentionally create misunderstandings, weaken workplace relationships, and affect career growth. Effective professional email communication requires more than speed, which is genuine human warmth.

Woman ignores CEO’s email rule

Recently, a senior manager, Harmanjot Kaur, running an AI service for Punjab-based businesses from home, has shared a rather thoughtful post on X, emphasising why employees must not over-rely on AI-generated emails, as it can have a negative impact on the client. To justify her claim, Harmanjot recounted a personal story on the micro-blogging platform.



According to Harmanjot, when she stepped into the role of heading a business division, her CEO gave one surprisingly simple but strict communication rule: every email should carry 20 percent more emotion than necessary. Initially, she found the advice unnecessary and even exaggerated. However, her CEO explained that emotionally flat or overly brief emails often come across as cold, irritated, or disengaged, even when no negativity is intended.


The CEO pointed out that a simple one-word response could easily create unnecessary workplace tension, while a warmer and more enthusiastic reply could foster trust, positivity, and stronger professional bonds. Though Harmanjot did not immediately take the advice seriously, her perspective changed dramatically after a professional misunderstanding nearly cost her career.

One email mistake taught her important lesson

She revealed that one of her concise email replies was misinterpreted by a team member as rude and dismissive. What seemed like a harmless message soon escalated into workplace friction, reduced team productivity, and growing internal conflict. The situation became serious enough for senior management to intervene.


That experience became a turning point in Harmanjot’s leadership style. She realised that in an era increasingly shaped by AI-generated communication and impersonal digital interactions, emotional intelligence remains a critical workplace skill. Since then, she has intentionally adopted a warmer tone across emails, Slack messages, WhatsApp chats, and other professional communication platforms by amplifying positivity and softening criticism.

Harmanjot shared that this subtle shift significantly improved trust, strengthened workplace relationships, accelerated decision-making, and enhanced team collaboration. Her viral post ultimately underscored a powerful lesson for modern professionals: careers and teams often suffer not from flawed strategies, but from poor communication tone and the absence of emotional warmth.